Railroad-switch.



' N0. 679,225. Patented July 23, I901.

' D. GRUHLKEY.

RAILROAD swncn.

'(Application filed May 10, 1901.,

(No Model.)

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DANIEL GRUI-ILKEY, OF MARSEILLES, ILLINOIS,

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 679,225, dated July 23, 1901.. Application filed May 10, 1901. Serial No. 59,592. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL GRUHLKEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marseilles, county of Lasalle, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Switches, of which the following, when taken in connection with the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof, is a complete and full description, sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to which it pertains to understand, make, and use the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in switches for railroad-tracks of the class wherein the main-track rails are unbroken and the switch-track rails are moved laterallyonto and over the main-track rails when the switch is to be used.

The object of this invention is to obtain a railroad-switch of the kind named which will be simple in construction and wherein the switch-track rails will be locked firmly in place to and on the main-track rails when the switch is thrown for use, a railroad-switch which is easily operated, durable, and not liable to get out of order when used, and one having few parts.

Figure 1 is a plan View of the switch embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a cross-sectional view on lines 2 2 of Fig. 1, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of main-track rail at the toe of the switch and of the switchrail forming such toe. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the main rail and switch-rail shown in side elevation in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a crosssectional view of such main track at the point thereof illustrated in Figs. 4c and 5 and a sectional View of the rail and crank-rod on the opposite side of the main track, as is shown by dotted line 6 6 in Fig. 1, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; and Fig. 7 is aperspective view of a portion of the crankrod of the apparatus,showing one of the cranlc arms thereof.

A reference-letter applied to designate a given part is used to indicate such part wherever the same appears throughout the several figures of the drawings.

R and R represent the rails of the main track, which rails are continuous and unbroken in the parts thereof upon which the switch is operated.

\V and W represent the switch rails. Switch-rail IV is pointed at the end thereof, forming the toe of the switch, as at X, Fig. 1. Theswitch-rail WV at the end thereof forming the toe of the switch is bent, as at X, Figs. 1, 4., and 5, and W is an elevating-plate, preferably a steel plate of suitable shape, bolted to the side of rail XV, as by bolts W W, Figs. 3 and 5. The forward end IV of elevatingplate W is flattened to a chisel shape to lay flatwise on the main track and substantially cover the same the full width thereof when the switch is turned for use, so that a car wheel entering the switch may roll thereonto without appreciable jar and be thereby elevated or raised to a height sufficient to allow the flange of such wheel to pass over the main track B when the axle thereof is at, say, the place marked W in Figs. 1, 4t, and 5 and pass from such elevating-plate onto the switchrail W.

Switch-rail W is divided or out, as at WV, Figs. 1 and 3, and the two ends thus obtained, (lettered W aud W respectively,) as also the end X of rail WV and the end X of the rail W, with elevating-plate 1N thereon, are adapted to be moved laterally to or from the main rails R R. The end W is bent to lie alongside the main rail R, as is shown in Fig. 2, and the sliding locking-block, hereinafter described, moves adjacent thereto, holding such end in place on the main-track rail B when the switch is turned for use, as is illustrated in the drawings. End is cut away on the bent portion, as at W, Figs. 1 and 2, so that a wheel worn to have a hollow tread cannot crowd ends W and W apart.

C is a crank rod or shaft located adjacent to and parallel with the main rail R on the outside of the main track and journaled in the boxes a CL.

C, G G and C are crank-arms extending out from shaft 0, such arms being duplicates but differently positioned on crank-rod O, as illustrated in Fig. 1, one of such crank-arms 0 being shown in perspective in Fig. 7.

S is the lever of the switch-stand, by means of which the switch-rails W W are moved and the locking-plates, hereinafter described,

are actuated. I

D, D D D and D are connecting-rods, which are attached to the respective crankarms 0, C C C and 0 E is a bell-crank pivoted at e and slotted, as at E, to receive the upturned end (1 of connecting-rod D.

F is alongitudinally-movable plate slightly wedge-shaped and'connected, by means of link G, to the bell-crank E so as to be moved longitudinally as such bell-crank is turned on its pivot e by the connecting-rod D when crank-rod O is turned for the operation of the switch.

H is the base in which the locking-plate F moves, and h is a plate attached to one side of switch-rail W. The plate h is preferably dovetailed, as is shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, to hold the plate F thereto,

whether such plate is positioned, looking switch-rail W onto the main-track rail R, as is illustrated in the drawings, or whether the same is retracted, as when the switch is thrown open. Connecting-rod D is attached to switch-rail W to control the position'of such switch-rail. Connecting-rod D is attached to the switch-rail W near the end W thereof, and such end W is held in place on the main-track rail R in the same manner as the end of rail W is held in place, as above described, (by locking-plate F and the connections thereof.)

E is a bell-crank pivoted at e and pro-' vided with slot E. F is the locking-plate of end W of rail W.

pivotally-mounted bell-crank E and II is the base in which such locking-plate moves longitudinally. The upturned end d of connecting-rod D extends into slot E of bellcrank E v Connecting-rod D is attached to switch-rail W, as at d (near the end l/V of said switchrail.

Fig. 1 shows the switch set for use. By turning shaft 0, as by lever S, the locking-plates F F are retracted, ends X X of rails W W are moved laterally from the main-track rails R R, and ends W and W of switch-rail W are moved laterally from off the main-track rail R by the longitudinal movement of the several connecting-rods D, D D D and D Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railroad-switch, the combination with the main and unbroken rails of a railroad-track, of a switch-point rail cut at its crossing of the unbroken rail of the main track, means for moving the cut ends laterally in opposite directions and so that the tread thereof may move over and off of the main rail, a rigid plate, a sliding block between the rigid plate and the inner end of the cut switch-point rail, a crank-rod and a connection between the crank-rod and the sliding "block, whereby, when the out ends of the switch-point rail are moved over and onto the main rail the sliding .block is moved to lock the switch-point rail with'the end thereof adjacent thereto firmly in place on such main rail, and connections between the crank-rod and the toe of the switch-rails, whereby the position of such toe ends of the switch-rails is determined by the crank-rod, and an elevating-plate attached to the inner side of the outside switch-point rail, adjacent to the toe thereof, a rigid plate, a sliding block and a connection between the sliding block and the 1 crank-rod; substantially as described.

2. In a railroad-switch the combination with an unbroken rail of the main track, of a 1 switch-point rail the toe-whereof is adjacent to and outside of the main rail, a rigid plate, a sliding block between the rigid plate and l the outside of the switch-point rail near the toe of such rail a crank-rod,'connection between the crank-rod and the sliding block and 1 between the crank-rod and switch-point rail and an elevating-plate attached to the inner side of the switch-point rail adjacent to the toe thereof whereby when such too is moved laterally by the movement of the crank-rod the elevating-plate is moved over and off of the main rail and when over the main rail the movable block looks it in place thereon; substantially as described.

3. In a railroad-switch, the combination with the unbroken rails of the main track, of a switch-point rail cut at its point of crossing such unbroken main-track rail, means Whereby the ends obtained by such cut may have lateral movement in opposite directions and so that the tread thereof may move over and off of the main rail, a rigid plate adjacent to one end of the switch-point rail, a sliding block between the rigid plate and the end of the switch-point rail adjacent thereto, a crankrod, means for operating the crank-rod, and connections between the crank-rod and the ends of the switch-point rail and between such crankrod and the sliding block; whereby when the crank-rod is operated and the switchpoint rails are moved over and onto the unbroken rail the sliding block is moved to lock the end of the switch-point rail which is adjacent thereto; substantially as described. DANIEL GRUHLKEY. In presence of G. C. SrEBBiNs, H'ATTIE GRAY. 

